How to involve your kids in packing process?

Moving is not an easy thing to do. There are so many things that you have to think about and to take care of that it can really feel overwhelming at times. It is no wonder that moving is widely regarded as one of the most stressful things you can go through. From finding a good reliable, moving company, to getting some proper storage bins, things can get really wild. It is important you keep your eyes on the prize and push on. Sometimes, it will be easy to do that, and sometimes it will be hard. However, it is important that you stay united with your family and together you will come out on top. One of the key things during a move is to involve your kids in packing process and the move in general.

Moves can be really tough for kids

For kids, moves can be really stressful, so it is not enough to just involve your kids in packing process

You have to do better, so bear in mind that for kids, moves can bring a lot of stress. Do you feel the emotional weight of leaving your old home and moving to a new one? Sure, that can be a great thing, and it often is. You get the chance to restart your life and begin anew. However, feeling at least a bit down is a completely normal thing for anyone. We, as adults have developed coping mechanisms and can deal with most of the situations that life throws in our way. That is one of the perks of being an adult. The experience we gather through life helps us to keep moving forward. However, kids usually do not have that kind of defenses. It is thus important to not just involve your kids in packing process but to also help them on an emotional level.

How to do that?

In order to involve your kids in packing process, they have to be ready for that first. So, how can you get them ready and willing to do just that? Well, good mental preparation is the key to this. The best way to achieve this is to communicate with them in a direct and understanding way. You being nervous or impatient because they are anxious or sad is a sure way to let things turn for the worse. Give them a chance to tell you how they feel about the move. It is likely that they will be really sad and even mad that they have to leave their home.

Inserting some fun in the packing can go a long way

That is a normal reaction and you should tell them that. Also, tell them that though things may feel tough at the moment, as is the case with almost any other situation in life, they will come through and that bad period will pass. That is how life works, so make sure that they really understand that. By adopting this particular mindset, they will have an easier time later in life. Let them know that you are there for them throughout the move and afterward. Once you make sure that they understood it is time to involve your kids in packing process and move in general.

Depending on their age, kids can be really helpful

Something a lot of parents actually do very often is that they forget to give their kids the due credit when the grow to be old enough to start to directly contribute to the family. If your kids are around 10 years old or older, they can do a lot for you. One of the best things that they can do for you is to make an inventory list of their own room. Inventory lists are seriously important when it comes to packing. All those green box rentals have to be put to good use, right? The inventory list can help you pack all of your belongings in a lot more organized way. So, let your kids take care of their own list of belongings. This can also be a great opportunity to teach them some responsibility.

As for younger kids let them choose things

You can involve your kids in the packing process in more than one way. One of them, for young kids, is to let them assist you in buying things. For instance, you can let them choose the color of stickers that you will put on the boxes. Or the color of markers that you are going to use. This is of course not just for your kids’ amusement. Using markers and stickers that are in different colors can be a really useful tool when packing. You can assign different colors according to the different priority of boxes. for example. Combining this technique with a quality inventory list can make your packing a lot simpler. Consequently, the unpacking can be even simpler if you know exactly by just one look at the inventory list in which of the eco-friendly moving boxes to look for a particular item.

Kids can actually be really helpful in their own way during a move

Make the packing process into a competition

If there is one thing that practically every kid ever loves, that is playing games and competing. So, how can you use this to your advantage? Well, simply make the packing itself a competition. For instance, if you have two kids that are capable of making an inventory list, you can promise them a suitable award for whoever finishes first. Of course, make sure that they do it properly. So, tell them that you will go through each of their lists after they are done. Packing itself can also be a very good competition. Just make sure that they know how important packing really is, and that they do not want their things to break.